Impute

Rating:
Summary: Some Buried Mystery
Review: A mystery novel with chapter headings from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam? That sounds promising. The book more than lives up being an original piece of mystery writing.
Intricate plotting, with characters both naive(loved Teddy, the police cadet) and wordly(like Dobbelia Smith, a female counterpart of the Continental Op.
Perhaps the writing leaves something to be desired (didn't everyone say that of Mrs. Christie?)but the novel jogs along at a race horse trot. Before long one is rooting for the hapless Martin.
A worthy successor to the Author's An Insipid Passion. A gourmet, old fashioned mystery, set in modern Manhattan. Hugely enjoyable.
Books you should read with this: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, The Murder Room by P.D. James and some of the Pascoe/Dalziel novels.

Rating:
Summary: Homage to the Golden Age
Review: If you're serious about mysteries, this is one to commune with. The plot borders intentionally on the bizarre, with sequences that are almost grand-guignolish, reminding one of the kind of things they got away with in the "golden age" of mysteries; but the characters are sufficiently intriguing and, remarkably, the New York ambience becomes as comfortable as your favorite restaurant's - provided that your favorite restaurant serves gourmet food, Bass beer and single-malt whiskies. The hugger-mugger involving a forensic psychiatrist, a New York City detective and rival "drug rings" does not let up, but in the midst of it there are several remarkable conversations conaining some rather perceptive insights into the "good old days" of Agatha Christie.

Rating:
Summary: Heady like a Bass Ale!
Review: What a pleasure it is to discover an unknown and obscure author who attracts with an unusual title. Impute: Fall to Sin is such a strange name that I ordered the book with only one thing in mind, that it might live up to it's name. It turned out to be bright as lightning and intricate as the electrical grid system of the United States! Unfortunately, that failed, as we learned recently. However, this book does not. It's fast moving, exciting, and the author seems quite knowledgeable about Vintners' wares. A great cast of characters and I recommend the book highly to mystery buffs who love Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr and Margery Allingham.
J. Raina

Rating:
Summary: Heady like a Bass Ale!
Review: What a pleasure it is to discover an unknown and obscure author who attracts with an unusual title. Impute: Fall to Sin is such a strange name that I ordered the book with only one thing in mind, that it might live up to it's name. It turned out to be bright as lightning and intricate as the electrical grid system of the United States! Unfortunately, that failed, as we learned recently. However, this book does not. It's fast moving, exciting, and the author seems quite knowledgeable about Vintners' wares. A great cast of characters and I recommend the book highly to mystery buffs who love Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr and Margery Allingham.
J. Raina